Listening Skills  Interview Questions

Interview Question: Are you capable of getting to the bottom of a situation, when some one is incapable of communicating what they really mean? If so how do you achieve this?

Answer guide: Applicant should be able to understand work-related language, be able determine what a co-worker is trying to say, and be intuitive in recognizing human emotions.

Interview Question: Relate an occasion when you withheld your own opinion, and tried to obtain the opinion of others, and why was this action important?

Answer guide: Applicant should know that as a team player the views of others are important. The ideology of the phrase There is no I in team should be represented. Ego and/or narcissism should not be a trait applicant expresses.

Interview Question: Describe an incident when you had to listen attentively in order to act quickly enough to meet a deadline.

Answer guide: Answer should show that applicant has good listening skills and that they are a dependable person who responds accurately to the central issues.

Interview Question: Give an example of a time when you had to ask direct questions to bring out diverse opinions on a central issue.

Answer guide: Job seeker should have the skills to convince others to fully participate in a discussion and help them expand on their ideas.

Interview Question: How do you deal with situations when others are finding it hard to communicate effectively with you?

Answer guide: Candidate should have the ability to use their listening and interviewing skills to clarify issues and make points easier to understand. They should be able to influence the conversation in a way that allows other people to effectively communicate; should not be impatient.

Interview Question: What do you do when someone is deliberately giving you vague, dissembling, or even obstructive information, which hinders your ability to complete a task?

Answer guide: Applicants should be capable of determining what information is correct. By clarifying with a superior or researching they work around the obstruction. They should try to bring the conversation to a satisfactory conclusion, but always have the best interests of the company in mind.